FreedomPop Adds Free Voice and Texting Bundle

FreedomPop today announced that it has partnered with textPlus in order to offer a more well-rounded set of wireless services. Beginning later this year, FreedomPop customers will be able to make voice calls and send text messages, as well as consume mobile data free of charge. FreedomPop launched its beta service in October. It resells access to Clearwire's WiMax network (it will eventually transition to Sprint's LTE network) and offers 500MB of free mobile broadband via mobile hotspots, laptop dongles, and sleeves for Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch. FreedomPop offers 500MB of mobile broadband for free each month, with additional gigabytes costing $10 each. The hotspot and laptop dongle are "free," though they require refundable deposits of $89 and $49, respectively. FreedomPop has not yet shared details of what devices will be able to make phone calls and send text messages. FreedomPop is also offering rewards for certain customer behaviors. For example, customers who sit through ad can earn an extra data each month, and customers who refer friends or family can also be rewarded with additional buckets of data. FreedomPop's data service offers speeds ranging from 4 to 6Mbps down and 1 to 2Mbps up.